Wayside School Gets Double Helpings
by sonchicken
Summary: Not only it is cool to have a new kid in your class. But having two is even better. Meet Zane, a transfer student to Wayside from a prestigious school. Our little OC will experience freedom for once but is it worth it? Wayside lives up to it's name due to non-logical situations, subjects, and cows walking around is a normal thing.
1. Open the Curtains

**Wayside School Gets Perfeqt: Curtains Opens**

 **Author's Notes: First take on Wayside FF and yes the title is intentional. I just watched the show season 1 and 2 and instantly fell in love with it. Doing my take on OC into the series. Won't tamper anything, following the story line from start to finish. And yes, I'm starting at Wayside's Special and ending at Season 3. Also one final word, I will continue on my other story so expect something from me soon. Well enough talk, lets take a dive into the film. _Cue the intro music!_**

 **I DO NOT OWN WAYSIDE SCHOOL NOR BOOKS. THIS IS JUST MY OWN TAKE. NO COPYRIGHT INTENDED.**

 **.**

 **_Bus Ride_**

 **It was a beautiful day for a science experiment. Sunny skies, birds chirping, and a outstanding performance by gravity. All of this is happening outside while we find our hero running late on the first day of school. It's bad enough our little OC is having trouble containing himself in a slow bus, he never tranferred schools before and he already missed his friends back at his old school. Insecurity was the word to describe himself. The feeling of being with friends is the greatest feeling... except eating toast with almost anything. The kid grew up to love toast and ate toast on breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even for a midnight snack.**

"Er, excuse me bus driver are we at Wayside yet?" the little kid asked. The little child has rectangular glasses, he is wearing a muscle shirt for the hot heat in August, and basketball shorts to cool off. He has black hair but his front bang has a light shade of hue. The boy is lightly tanned all around with the exception of a major tan line at his feet.

"For the last time kid, this hunk-o-junk is moving as fast as she can!" the bus driver barked.

"I'M SORRY but wasn't school supposed to start, like, I don't know 10 minutes ago?" the boy asked.

"No kiddo," the bus driver snapped.

"Wa-Wait, then I'm not late?" the boy asked hopefully. All that hope is soon to be crushed to a million pieces.

"No," the bus driver sighed, "Wayside supposed to start 20 minutes ago and you are more than late."

The boy slumped in his seat and wondered how would the teacher react if he told his excuse of sleeping late. Or maybe he can lie about being lost in school and get away with it. No he can't do that, or else that would make his record worse and god knows what would the punishment be if he gets another tardy.

"If it makes you feel any better kid, how about you tell me about yourself to pass the time," the bus driver suggested, "lets start with your name."

"Zane...Kowalski, Zane Kowalski," Zane said triumphantly, " I have a American father and a Vietnamese mother, I'm the only child, I like to eat toast and everyone should eat at least one toast in their life, and..."

"...We are here kiddo," the bus driver pointed to the tall school. Zane pressed his face against the window, he gazed the school from bottom to top and gawked at the height. The brochure was not joking about having a tall school and having different buildings on each floor.

"Well off you go little-un," the bus driver pushed a button and ejected Zane out and sped off.

"WAIT," Zane called out, "are you sure this is it?"

" _Ever seen a tall school like this,"_ the bus driver replied. Zane turned around and admired the height of the school... **!** Zane realized he is in a hurry and needs to get to class, fast. He rushed to the doorway and noticed there are some furnitures, coffee pots, school supplies, and even a sack of potatos lodged into the ground. Zane bounded while avoiding the rubble but can't help but to wonder what happened?

 _ **Wayside Main Entrance**_

 **When Zane first walked into the building, he was even more amazed by the clean environment of the school. There was green marbled floor with a coat-of-arms design at the center of the entrance. The coat-of-arms has a platypus at the center of the shield. Strangely, there was a receptionist center but there is no person behind the computer. Behind Zane, there was a trophy case and... a dispenser of trophy cases? Zane pulled out his letter. The letter was for Zane to remind him what class and teacher he is supposed to go. It read "Ms. Jewels: All subject. 30th floor but no 19th floor. The builder is very sorry". And the rest is scribbles and a picture of a platypus. Zane's mouth was hanging, he almost forgotten that he has to climb 30 stories just to reach a class. Suddenly, the intercom came on and the principal of Wayside spoke.**

 **. . .**

 ***ATTENTION STUDENTS, ATTENTION. THIS IS PRINCIPAL KIDSWATTER SPEAKING. I LIKE US ALL TO WELCOME A NEW STUDENT TO WAYSIDE. HIS NAME IS 344 SOUTH FAIRVIEW. WELCOME 344, THANK YOU. WAIT THAT'S NOT HIS NAME? HIS ADDRESS? HIS NAME IS TODD? WHATEVER, LIKE WE NEED ANOTHER SNOT-NOSED BRATS AROUND WAYSIDE. ESPECIALLY WITH HIS RECORD. DID YOU EVEN SEE WHAT HE DID TO HIS LAST SCHOOL? DON'T TELL ME TO SHUT UP, YOU SHUT UP. WAIT ARE THEY HEARING WHAT I'M SAYING RIGHT NOW? HOW DO I SHUT THIS THING OFF? STUPID MIC-***

"How does a principal mix an address with a name and that was plain rude," Zane spoke. "Well time to run up these stairs!" Zane double-knotted his shoes and ran up the stairs, with easy pace he can ramp up speed and soon he'll find himself running without any problems. Suddenly the intercom came on and Zane listened as he ran.

 ***UH, SORRY DUDES. THIS IS LOUIS, THE SCHOOLYARD TEACHER KIDSWATTER HAS A BIT OF A PROBLEM BUT HE FORGOTTEN ONE STUDENT. WAYSIDE, PLEASE WELCOME ZANE KOWALSKI AND GIVE HIM A WARM WELCOME WHEN YOU-HEY! MR. KIDSWATTER WHAT ARE YOU-?- THERE'S ANOTHER BRAT IN THIS SCHOOL? HE'S A KOALA?!** **That's Kowalski Mr. K. I DON'T CARE, NOT ANOTHER STUPID... WAAAAAHHHH!***

"That guy got serious problems with names and cries," Zane thought. "oh well I'm on the 12th floor, at this rate I can reach the 30th floor with no problem... ah jeez!" Zane pinched his nose when he came across the 15th floor, it was an awful smell of death with a dash of sweaty socks and sauteed rotten kale. He had to pace himself or else he would puke his guts out.

"What was that smelly room?" Zane wondered. God knows what's behind those doors.

"This isn't working, I have to get a sip of water and I think I'll make a stop at the eighteenth floor." Zane puffed.

 **. . .**

 _ **18th Floor**_

 **A normal hallway with classrooms on each side of the wall. Zane stood still to catch his breath and took a big sip of water to hydrate himself. A thought struck his head, he remembered about the letter saying there is no 19th floor so he looked around. Right in front Zane was a rectangular hole that is boarded up with planks. There is a big gap between the hallway and the 19th floor. A bunch of plywood lay on the dirt floor. Someone must've attempted to make it into the 19th floor but what kind of lunatic would do that? Zane slowly backed off and continue running but a locker was open and he fell right in! The poor kid got sucked into a tube and ascended, he prayed that he lives and make it to the 30th floor.**

 **After a few bumps, sharp turns, loops, and zig-zags. Zane tumbled out of the locker and into a door. We find our sensitive OC rubbing his head and looked around, a big number 30 showed on the wall. HE MADE IT. Now all Zane needs to do is enter the classroom.**

"Ok Kowalski," Zane muttered, "you can do this! Introduce yourself and make new... friends." With that final comment, he pressed a button and the door opened. An adult looked at him and so did other kids gazed at him.

 _ **End of Intro**_


	2. How to Walk the Stairs

Wayside

 _Ms. Jewels Classroom_

 **The room is your everyday typical classroom in any school. A desk, seats for children, filing cabinet, chalkboard, and a glass rooftop. It was a beautiful classroom with a view of the whole Wayside neighborhood. Being at the top of everything is a good feeling, it's what drives the 30** **th** **floor students ecstatic. The walls were painted yellow and portraits of each student in the 30** **th** **floor. For the floor, it was blue tiles to walk on and cold to touch. Zane immediately straightened himself up due to the sudden chill on the floor. Ms. Jewels was dumbfounded to see this unfolding before her eyes. She is witnessing a walking koala!**

.

"Class," Ms. Jewels shouted in joy, "we are witnessing a walking koala! Yay!" All the other students also shouted in joy and applauded the confused boy.

"Hi, my name is Zane Kowalski," Zane said in a confused manner. "There must be a mistake in the intercom that you didn't hear and I'm no walking koala, the principal mispronounced my name."

"Why thank you for introducing yourself Zane," Ms. Jewels spoke, barely containing her excitement. "Let's get you started with a temporary seat and we'll get you a tree to suit your taste. Let's see… Jenny would you like Zane as your front seat buddy?"

"Yes Ms. Jewels," Jenny replied with a nod.

Zane turned towards the person who was speaking. It was a girl. For some reason, she is wearing biker clothes and a helmet. The girl had black eyes but filled with excitement. Everything turned slow motion for Zane, Jenny removed her helmet and exposed her long blonde hair and it amazed Zane. Not only it was luscious but what kind of sorcery is she using to keep her hair not sloppy? Zane snapped out of his daydream and observed the empty space in front of Jenny. There is no desk nor chair and no seat. Just an empty space.

"Uh, Ms. Jewels, where do I sit," Zane asked. "Is this empty space my seat?"

All the kids laughed at him about his predicament, even Ms. Jewels joined in the fun. After she was done, she nodded.

"Yes, Zane please take your seat or would you like to join with Todd in the discipline list," Ms. Jewels replied. "I already had an argument about this with Todd and he left me no choice but to send him home early in the kindergarten bus." Zane shivered at the thought of being trapped in a small space with kids, he hates little kids due to their façade innocent nature when in reality, they can be rotten to the core.

"On second thought, let me just settle in," Zane spoke as he quickly made his way to Jenny. While this was unfolding Jenny couldn't help but to feel excited for having a new kid sitting in front of her desk. She stared at Zane and wondered who the kid is? Is he an astronaut? A secret agent? A fry cook? Or even better, a person that lives on the edge and is an extreme stunt fanatic? She smiled and she can hear him talking to her softly about doing a donut at the bottom of a canyon with Rattlesnakes, driving up a ramp with fire, doing loops around, and flying into the setting sun, right when the fireworks start.

"Jenny," Zane spoke slowly. Smiling at her with a biker's helmet with a skull at the back of his head and flaming visors. Zane's clothing is replaced with black leather boots, black leather pants, and black leather jacket.

"Yes, new kid," Jenny replied slowly.

"Are you ok," Zane asked as he tilted his head. Her dream slowly melted and she is looking down at him, closely. His head backed away as he stopped organizing his materials, he found himself holding his breath in and slowly turning red. Jenny realizes this and slowly backed off with her hair covering her face. To cut the tension, the intercom came on and startled the two students.

"I need a piece a paper from you is that ok," Zane asked while looking way and rubbing his head. He wants this to be over with and try to cut the girl some slack.

"Sure thing, partner," Jenny replied while copying Zane's action. Her voice had a southern accent, it was soft but loud enough for a whole herd of cows to hear and run. Zane slapped the back of his head to stop thinking about that moment, it was probably her spacing out.

 ***ATTENTION STUDENTS, ER, ATTENTION. I KNOW YOU ALL KNOW ABOUT MY DILEMMA WITH STAIRS AND SUCH BUT I WANT ALL OF YOU SNOT-NOSE—ER—WONDERFUL CHILDREN TO BE SAFE. NOW, I WANT YOU ALL, WAYSIDE SCHOOL TO LOUDLY REPLY THE ANSWER. NOW CHILDREN, WHERE DO WE GO WHEN WE GO UP THE STAIRS?***

There was silence, no one in Wayside said anything back but stared at the intercom. At least, the crickets are doing their job. Except Myron, an African-American boy with spectacles with a chubby face and body type. His voice is a Bengal cat and curly hair like a lion had its hair done. He is wearing a turquoise polo shirt and some light brown cargo shorts with some old tennis shoes.

"We stay at the far side, Mr. K," Myron shouted. Everyone covered their ears and shot him dirty looks. Zane is guessing Myron is the only kid that looks up to the principal.

 ***VERY GOOD STUDENTS! FIRST TRY AND NOW, WHERE ARE WE SUPPOSED TO STAY WHEN WE WANT TO GO DOWNSTAIRS?***

"Ooh, ooh students stay on close side of the stairs when we are descending," Myron shouted at the top of his lungs. He clapped his hands like he has won the lottery and bowed for his answer.

"Myron, that is really-, the person was interrupted by Mr. Kid

 ***STUPENDOUS MY STUDENTS! I KNOW WE HAVE DONE THIS A BILLION TIMES BUT ALL OF YOU WILL THANK ME LATER FOR THIS. GOOD DAY WAYSIDE, NOW IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME I MUST DO MY ICE EXCERCISES.***

"You heard our principal class," Ms. Jewels said, "Stairs are a hazard these days."

"Myron, that was really obnoxious of you," a purpled haired girl said angrily, "I'm sitting right next to you and you might've ruptured my eardrums." Zane craned his head for a better look of the person. She sounded like she has a bossy vibe.

"Dana, Kidswatter said every kid in Wayside follow along," Myron chided, "besides your ear is working fine."

The new kid saw the person arguing with Myron. She has short purple hair that just passes her shoulder, the girl is wearing glasses, striped shirt, and cargo shorts. She has lightly tanned skin and has two mismatched front teeth.

"Settle down now children," Ms. Jewels gestured everyone to sit down, "ok class we can begin our second part of our experiment." Everyone in class cheered.

"Great," Ms. Jewels clapped, "let's clean up and we can have recess!" And with that final comment, every kid rushed out down stairs except two kids. Zane and a girl with rollerblades.

"Ms. Jewels, I never heard of this science experiment before," Zane said, "how am I going to get my first grade here?"

"Not to worry Zane, Maurecia will handle that," Ms. Jewels replied, "you can clean up the mess and we'll see what grade you'll get."

"Who's Maurecia?" the glassed boy asked. He didn't get his answer, instead he is dragged off with the silent girl. She rushed down the stairs with amazing speed that everything was a blur. Zane was afraid someone might get hurt when crossing in front of them or worse, him or her!

"Maurecia will you PLEASE stop," Zane asked loudly.

"What are you talking about, we are already here," Maurecia replied and folded her arms. "And why are you talking so loud?"

 _ **Playground**_

 **Ah what a wonderful word. It's a word that makes the children's heart sing and laugh. It's a sacred place for kids to flock after all the blood and sweat poured onto a piece of paper. Harsh teachers are always on your back, parents berating your mistakes, and other kids can watch in horror. Well Zane has put all that behind him, this is Wayside not Nikes.**

Zane made a poker face. For a second, he thought both of them traveled at the speed of light and opened a rift that transported them to the playground. He looked back at Maurecia to reply. Maurecia is wearing a maroon colored sweater with a navy blue skirt. She is also wearing pink skating gear from head to toe, decorated with blue flames. The skater girl has a darker skin tone than Zane, it's safe to say she goes outside more than our OC. Also much more of a masculine tone for a girl, raspy but still feminine.

"How… did we go so fast," Zane asked in confusion, "we were at the 30th floor like a second ago."

"I live in the fast lane Zane," Maurecia replied and chuckled soon after, "hey that rhymes! Lane Zane." And with that, she rolled around on the grass while Zane stared in bewilderment. The confused boy looked around and noticed that he and Maurecia are the only two outside.

"Maurecia, where is everyone," Zane asked.

 _ **End of Intro 2**_


	3. Tether Ball Hijinks

**Wayside Tether Ball Hijinks**

 **Author's Notes: Hello audience, I was on vacation for a while and thought to myself I can type my story during the bus ride and my way back. Hopefully you guys can read this with no trouble and I had lots of fun creating this chapter. Enjoy!**

 **. . .**

 _ **The Playground**_

"Zane, I just have this feeling of being first on everything," Maurecia shrugged, "and besides, being slow is not efficient, boring, and no fun." Zane knew better, there's got to be a reason why she wants to go fast, he wants to go deeper.

"I don't know about that," Zane shook his head, "walking down the stairs with your friends is more relaxing, also I doubt anyone at Wayside want to be first at Wayside." Maurecia was in deep thought right now, she skated away and glanced at the thirtieth floor. It would be nice to be with friends for once. The doors swung open, kids of all ages streamed out of the doors with laughter and smiles. A tall man made his way to the storage room and pulled out a bucket with sports equipment that contained: pogo-sticks, basketballs, soccer balls, hockey sticks, and etc. Children was shouting in excitement and told him to pass the ball to them so they can play. Each time he handed, tossed, and even mailed the equipment to kids, he greets them with "dude" in different tones and the children becomes content. The one equipment that caught Zane's eyes was the tether ball. He loved tether ball more than anything else it was his favorite activity to play and he was good at it, maybe even the best at his old school. He was crowned as the king of the tether ball court, not even the gym teacher can beat him.

"Hey what's up little dude," the man asked. Zane turned to face the grown up, it was the same guy that handed out stuff to kids. He has black eyes, blue curly hair, a straight nose, and a cheery smile. He was wearing an orange cap, orange vest, and khaki pants. Around his neck was a golden whistle to signify his position in Wayside. Zane put the pieces together and came up with a logical answer: the man is a school yard teacher. The guy must be respected by the kids and possibly the most popular.

"So, uh little dude, are you the new kid at Wayside," the school yard teacher asked. Zane couldn't help but to smile so he replied.

"My name is Zane Kowalski, I transferred here from Nike's Elementary School and looking for a fresh start," Zane replied and reached his hand out, "nice to meet you Mr."

"Aw, don't call me Mr. little Zane," the teacher adjusted his cap, "call me Louis, every kid calls me that and it's easier that way." Louis looked at another direction and blew his whistle to tell the kids to share the basketball. Zane was amazed how quickly the kids responded, each kid with a ball immediately gave their equipment to another kid. Myron gave a girl with a blue overcoat a baseball, strangely the girl was sleeping and Myron was laughing.

"Say Zane, do you want a sports equipment to entertain yourself," Louis asked. Zane's ears perked up and immediately looked at the cart, he ran over to the bucket and peered inside. He smiled and held the tether ball above his head.

"Dang little dude, I'm guessing you like tether ball," Louis said smiling. Zane can barely contain his excitement and nodded his head many times but stopped and had a puzzled look.

"I almost forgotten," Zane sounded bummed, "how am I supposed to play if there is nobody else to play with?" Louis patted his shoulder and thought for a moment.

"How about you go one-on-one with one of the kids," Louis suggested, "I can get you a kid in no time, just set up a court and I'll be right with you." Zane was happy and can't wait to see Wayside's take on tether ball. Another reason why the boy wanted to go to Wayside was because he heard there was a tether ball team and won almost every competition in 1st and 2nd place. What amazed him the most was there was no 3rd place, 2nd place is just another message, saying, "You lost first kiddo." Zane strolled over to the tether ball court, as he walked, kids were checking out the new kid with and wondered what he's like. They were also wondering how the new kid is with tether ball.

Louis later returned with a boy with orange hair. What was strange about him is, the kid was wearing an elf costume. Everything from the green hat to the black boots and a jack-o-lantern in his hands. The school yard teacher was holding the kid like a football and placed him on the opposing side of the court. Louis cleared his throat and blew his whistle.

"Zane, I want you to meet a member of the tether ball team," Louis announced, "his name is Stephen, I'm sure you have seen or met him on the thirtieth floor since he is in your classroom." Zane did remember a kid wearing some weird clothes despite being in the middle of August.

"Nice to meet you, new kid," Stephen spoke, "you must be cool since you are wearing a koala costume, it's nice to have someone wearing costumes every day." Zane was confused, he wasn't wearing anything costume worthy, just normal every day clothes but decided to roll with it and played along with the joke. At least he hoped it was a joke.

"Nice to meet you too," Zane replied, "you must be cool since you are in the tether ball team, it's nice to meet someone with the same interest." While they were talking, Louis was busy with gathering kids around to watch or play tether ball to see the new kid in action. The blue-haired man knew full well Zane's ability to play tether ball. Mr. Kidswatter was talking about Todd's record and Zane's record with Louis. The principal compared the two records to see which agent can help him around the school, Louis on the other hand was looking into Zane's record. An A minus student in Nike's Elementary School, his involvement in school was stupendous and even crowned by the principal by the name of, "The King of the Tether Ball Court." The tournament was coming up and decided to help Zane to be part of the team.

Children was cheering the two players on the tether ball court. Stephen was basking in the applause and speaking to himself while holding the jack-o-lantern in front of him. Zane was double knotting his shoes to prepare himself. During his attendance at his old school, his coach emphasized how it is important to never ever underestimate your opponents in sports or any competitive matches that involves your time and energy. Meanwhile, another girl was preparing to jump the ramp with her bike until Maurecia stopped her. The blonde girl was listening to Maurecia for a bit, her ears perked up and started to drive to the tether ball court. Maurecia later followed and asked herself this question, "What's up with Jenny? She never skips her daily extreme activities unless it's something that involves her friends." She raised many possibilities but none of them were clear. Hopefully she can find her answer at the end of the day.

Back to the tether ball court, Stephen was panting like a dog in the hot summer. Zane was breathing through his nostrils and furrowed his brows, and prepared himself to intercept the ball. The two were playing best of three and both of the players need one more point to win. The crowd was watching in anticipation, a boy was having trouble with seeing the spectacle unfold. Height wasn't the problem but he was upside down for the most part. Stephen cleared his throat and drew back his hand to serve the ball, Zane senses were razor sharp and if he losses, he won't be able to live it down. He wants to win this to be in the team. To Zane, everything in life doesn't come in free and he learned it the hard way. There's a hefty price to things he desires. The elf boy punched the ball and it started to wrap around the pole. Zane struck the ball back and lost his balance. Stephen took advantage of this so he started to punch the ball but controlled it to wrap around the pole more quickly. Zane instantly sprang up and slapped the ball, it barely stopped the complete rotation. Zane kept on hitting the ball until it started to wrap on Stephen's side. The boy panicked and started to reach the ball. Stephen missed miserably and hit nothing but air. This threw him off, Zane capitalizes by giving one final hit for the ball to wrap around the tip of the pole so his opponent can't reach it. Silence washed over the crowd, everyone was star struck by Zane's performance. "YEAH, GOOD JOB!" and the whole crowd cheered. Zane smiled sheepishly and bowed to the crowd, he almost forgotten about Stephen.

"And the winner is… Zane Kowalski by reaching three points," Louis cheered and blew his whistle. He patted Zane's back and made his way to Stephen's direction.

"Hey Stephen, good fight dude," Zane said while breathing, "You remind me of one of my friends that was close on beating me." Stephen was sad but he smiled.

"Thanks Zane," Stephen shouted in joy, "you are REALLY good, I wonder if you can beat our best player." Stephen said that last part really loudly to see if the person responds.

"Hey Stephen what's wrong and who is your best player in Wayside," Zane asked in a cautious manner. One thing he hated was the loser tries to be happy but is passive-aggressive towards the winner. He hopes Stephen is not one of those kids. Instead, a girl was pushed into the court, Zane's mouth was hanging and gazed at her.

"Jenny is your guy's best player," Zane asked amazed, "How good is she?" Stephen shrugged and hopped into the crowd to watch the show unfold.

"C'mon Jenny, you never skip ANY tether ball matches," Maurecia grunted while pushing Jenny, "why are you so reluctant this time?" Maurecia was struggling to get Jenny into the court so others pushed her into the court.

"Sister Mo, I appreciate that you care about what I like but no means no," Jenny grunted, "also I don't want to play anymore not with…" Jenny gazed at Zane, dumbfounded like him. She never knew Zane played ball.

" _I NEVER KNEW SHE PLAYED BALL," Zane thought, "What are the odds of this happening?"_ Zane drank his water bottle to rehydrate himself and wondered if she's going to play, so far she is reluctant for some reason. He needs something to provoke Jenny so he decided to be the bad guy. He cleared his throat and walked towards Jenny, the crowed was watching closely. Somebody shouted to challenge Jenny or to not even bother to mess with the MVP of Wayside. Zane stood face-to-face to Jenny, his red face was even redder when he became close to her. Her hair smelled nice like lavender and cucumber with a hint of peppermint. He snapped out of his senses and cleared his throat.

"So this is your guy's best player huh," Zane asked aloud, "if that's the case why is she so reluctant on playing?" The children were nodding and Jenny looked around bewilderment. Louis was getting another tether ball to prepare for the next competition.

"It's simple," Jenny declared out loud, "I don't want to play and that's that." The crowd booed at her but Jenny just closed her eyes and crossed her arms to show she doesn't care.

"Oh I see are you scared of facing me," Zane mocked and the crowd gasped, "Well I'm kind of disappointed of this… so called MVP of Wayside." The crowd were shocked to hear this from Zane, he was a nice guy before but this is another personality of Zane. However, Jenny was triggered by this and shook off Maurecia's grasp.

"If you want a match with me Brother Z, you got one," Jenny sneered. Zane smiled and the crowd cheered so loud that shook the building. If you listen closely, you can hear a principal screaming. Louis heard this but shrugged it off and continued to set up the tether ball court. Jenny went into the girl's bathroom and changed her clothes. Zane took this time to sit down for a bit to rest and readjust his shoes for the big match. He was getting some dirty looks and confused looks for his behavior earlier, Zane didn't care he was excited to play against Jenny to see how good she is. Later on, Jenny returned with regular white gym clothes to be more comfortable while Zane is soaked to the bone with his own sweat. Louis was just done with setting up the tether ball with precision to make sure the final round has no flaws or loose strings. The match is about to begin.

"Louis, I think both of us knows the rules," Jenny spoke in a annoyed manner, "I believe we should raise the stakes of this match." Zane arched his eyebrow and wondered what's going on.

"It depends if the other—, Louis started.

"I accept but I get to have my own reward too," Zane scoffed. Jenny realized her mistake but kept her cool.

"Fine, you got it new kid but if I win," Jenny began, "I want you to take back what you said about me and tell me that I'm the best."

"Ok then, if I win," Zane began and thought for a moment, he wanted this to be interesting so he is going to mess with her. "If I win, you owe me a date." That was the final nail to Jenny's coffin, she froze and looked at Zane, and she mouthed, "Are you serious?"

"You think I'm kidding here," Zane said without flinching, "I'm kidding, I want a Popsicle from you and that's it." The children of Wayside was laughing at the twist and pointed at Jenny's red stricken face. The blonde girl was even more serious but couldn't help but to chuckle at Zane's mind games.

"Ok enough talk, LET'S GO," Louis shouted and threw the ball to Zane. The boy stopped for a moment and called a time out. He removed his glasses so the glasses doesn't become a hindrance when he's playing. Zane took a deep breath and smacked the ball. Jenny immediately intercepted the ball and hit the ball back to Zane. His instincts told him to let the ball pass a bit so he doesn't tire himself out. After two rotations, Zane hit the ball back but Jenny hit the ball as well. The simultaneous strike created a shockwave that pushed both of them back. Zane staggered for a bit so he went in for the rebound, it was too late. Jenny already smacked the ball and created a full rotation. She got the first point.

Jenny smirked at Zane and gave the ball back to him. The glassless boy was shaken up a bit so he hit the ball. The southern girl knew better, she smacked the ball back at Zane's direction. He couldn't react fast enough so he had to duck and give her the first point. The crowd cheered and Stephen looked on in bewilderment. People were biting their nails, was Zane going to lose? Heck no, but to be real. It's two to nothing.

"Tough luck Brother Z," Jenny mocked, "It looks like I'll be taking the cake of victory while you watch me eat it."

"I hope you like sour dough," Zane muttered, "I think it's about time we end this."

Zane did a flip to get back onto his feet and grabbed the ball. He controlled his hit to send the ball airborne but not too fast.

"Hah, this is too easy to hit," Jenny grinned. She returned the ball back to Zane. The boy jumped and smacked the ball back at her. The momentum was so hard that Jenny couldn't even hit the ball in time and when it finally wrapped around the pole, the pole flew off and hit the ground. People were amazed by the tides turning. Jenny was frowning and kept asking herself, "why didn't you hit the ball?" Some of the crowd cheered for Zane while the others were gripping the sports equipment tightly. Jenny was disappointed about herself and gripped the tether ball tightly. She hammered the ball hard enough to wrap around the pole, Zane let the ball go for a little bit until he returned with a strike, Jenny missed the hit but she did a hand stand to hit the ball with her foot. Zane replied with a round-house kick that knocked Jenny off balance and got the second point. Jenny was stunned, the new kid was good, way out of her league. But she won't back down now. She immediately got the ball and started to serve but Louis stopped her and shook his head. He pointed at Zane and she faced at the new kid. He was… limping? Jenny thought.

" _Why did I do that?" Zane thought, "Did I just injure myself? Wait… I forgot to stretch after Stephen's match."_

Jenny felt terrible on continuing but she couldn't let a person that berated her to get away with that.

"What are you waiting for," Zane asked, "I'm still playing." Jenny was startled for a bit and frowned.

"You-you are slower than a bucket of molasses Zane," Jenny stammered, "I already won, why do you keep going?" Zane shrugged and stood up straight.

"I still want that Popsicle and also I don't quit until I win or you lose," Zane replied while trying to keep his cool.

Jenny was annoyed by this show of bravado but she couldn't help to admire it. He would be perfect to be in the tether ball team with his tenacity. She hit the ball and Zane followed up with a spinning punch, he held the pole to balance himself but fell down. Jenny took advantage of this and finished off Zane. The crowd was silent. Louis was silent. Even the cows were silent.

"And the winner is… Jenny Kinevil," Louis congratulated her and the whole crowd screamed her name. She was smiling really big and started to turn for her reward. Zane was nursing his foot and looked up, he was not wearing his glasses and looked a bit solemn. He stood up to congratulate her.

"Congrats Jen'," Zane smiled, "You are the best of the best in tether ball." The bell rang to signify that it is close to be at the end of the day. Kids swarmed around Jenny to congratulate her, she tried to find Zane on letting him know that she is still bringing Popsicles. She was wondering what kind of flavor he liked. The bell rang again to signal that the gates are open for kids to leave. When the dust cleared, Jenny couldn't find Zane so she got on her bike and met up with Maurecia.

Fortunately, it was a half day for Zane, if it wasn't he would be struggling to climb thirty flights of stairs. Zane was resting under a apple tree to nurse his cramp. He felt annoyed the fact that he lost due to his excitement and forgetting to stretch. Body sweating, kept forgetting, arms are heavy, Mush's spaghetti. He could use something cold to eat in this hot weather.

 **. . .**

"Yo yo Jenny are you coming along," Maurecia asked in excitement, "are we going to tackle our extreme activity?" Jenny was adjusting her helmet and looked back in the playground. She felt a guilty feeling and started to turn her bike towards the playground. Maurecia was confused and opened her mouth.

"Apologies, Sister Moe," Jenny replied, "It's going to wait for another day, take care bellyhoo!" And with that she sped off into the playground. Maurecia tilted her head in wonder, she followed Jenny into the playground but keeping her distance. Meanwhile, Zane was using the ice pack that Louis handed him a while ago to cool off the cramp. Jenny found him sitting under the tree and joined him, she hated this feeling of being attached to someone or having a "special" care to an individual that she only knew on the first day. Was it a special charm? Zane proved that in the tether ball match up. Were they friends before? Not that Jenny remembers, she was mostly gone with her dad to ride with him across the country. Did she like him? That was outrageous, it's the first day and unnatural to take a liking to a stranger but it was something that Jenny digged and couldn't put her foot on the pedal. She mustered up the courage and walked towards the boy. She should invite him to the tether ball team and ask him what's his favorite flavor so she can get out.

"Hi Brother Z, how are you doing," Jenny asked. Zane gave her a look with his arched eyebrow.

"No, I might as well cut my foot off since it's hurting like ants crawling in my foot, no thanks to you," Zane shot back. This surprised Jenny and made her felt a little hurt from that comment.

"Please, I'm kidding," Zane chuckled, "C'mon sit down, want a block of ice?" He offered the ice pack and she took a cube from the plastic bag and placed it in her mouth. It was a hot weather today, she took off her helmet to cool off and unzipped her jacket. It was quiet between the two shy birds so Jenny stated her business.

"Hey Z, I was wondering if you'll be interested joining the tether ball team," Jenny began confidently, "and what flavor of popsicle do you want."

Zane stretched his neck around to reduce the chances of cramping up again. He thought for a moment, not about joining the team but the flavor of the popsicle. He is wondering why is she here.

"Jenny, I like to join in the team but why are you offering me a popsicle," Zane asked, "Didn't you win?" Jenny straightened her hair and cleared her throat.

"Well, I felt bad about winning in a unfair game when you were injured," Jenny spoke while twirling her thumbs, "On top of that, you are pretty good so I thought I can get you something to eat in this cow-forsaken weather." Zane stood up and moved his right leg around to ensure he can walk.

"Thanks Jen, I appreciate it that you think that way," Zane yawned and dusted himself off, "Also my favorite flavor is oranges but if you don't have any orange flavors anything will do Jen." He started to walk away and Jenny exhaled. Suddenly, she had an idea to bring back Zane home. She can drive him home.

"ZANE," Jenny shouted. The new kid turned and looked at her. Jenny was about to state her offer but bit back her tongue.

"Good job on... losing?" Boy that sure broke the ice. Zane rolled his eyes, he started up his phone and plugged his earpods in his head to listen to music. Jenny on the other hand was rubbing her head on that stupid comment she made. She thinks that Zane will be mad at her for the rest of the school year. While all of this was happening, Maurecia gawked at the scene. The blue haired girl finally found her answer on Jenny's weird behavior. It was about the new kid.

 _ **End of Wayside Tether Ball Hijinks**_


End file.
